


real life

by peepy



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Kinda?, Light Angst, One Shot, Post B2W2 Arc, Spoilers, ive been staring at this fic for days please accept it lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 17:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19468891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peepy/pseuds/peepy
Summary: Two years had passed, sure, but they had more than enough time to get it back.





	real life

**Author's Note:**

> this doesn't really have much of a plot, but i wanted to write something quick for these two, especially now that black's out of the stone. i also wanted to write something that touches upon black coming to terms with being away for two years. spe doesn't really do angst, but i do! maybe i'll dig more into that idea another time.
> 
> this one shot's supposed to take place a few days after the b2w2 arc -- i hope the upcoming chapters don't contradict this somehow :,D

Two years.

That day from two years ago looped in her head, over and over… She relived it in her dreams, and in quiet moments when she was alone with her thoughts. 

If asked, she could tell you everything. She could tell you how hard it was to move, how it felt like her legs would buckle beneath her at any moment. How overwhelming the force around Reshiram had been, sucking everything in, not once discriminating between what… or who got trapped inside. 

She could tell you how Black was there one moment, then gone the next. And she could tell you how gravely she regretted not doing something, anything...

Time and time again she was told there was nothing she could’ve done. One wrong move and she would’ve been trapped as well. And she knew that. Logically, it made sense, and yet… all she could think about was: what if? What if she had kept an eye on Ghetsis? What if she had her team out to fight him, to hold off his Beheeyem?

A cool breeze drifted through the streets of Driftveil City, coming in from the coast. White idly glanced over at Black; he was leaning over the drawbridge’s railing, deep in thought.

The two of them had been outside for an hour or so, just talking, catching up on lost time.

And it was at that point White felt the most guilty; watching Black come to terms with everything he had missed over the past two years was difficult. She couldn’t even imagine what it was like to see all of your friends, family… just move on without you. How overwhelming it must have been to process everything, to feel so disconnected from the people you once knew like the back of your hand. And to think, all of this could’ve been avoided if she had just--

“I… think that’s all I can take in for today,” Black eventually said, staring out at the ocean. He let out a shaky sigh.

Instead of responding, White merely reached for his shoulder. Her touch was hesitant at first, with her fingertips just barely brushing against the fabric of his jacket. The feeling was familiar. Comforting, even. But, to her surprise, she could feel his arm freeze up. His grip on the hand rail tightened, just for a brief moment.

However, as soon as that moment came, it left.

“I… I’m sorry, Prez,” he immediately said. “I just… it’s a lot.”

“I understand.” Her voice was soft. 

Black lowered his head, his gaze now lowered to the sea below. The waves came and went, crashing against the tall, concrete beams the bridge was supported on. A moment of silence passed over the two. It wasn’t awkward, nor painful. It was just a natural lull in their conversation. A moment to breathe.

His eyebrows drew close together, obviously deep in thought. White couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. What he wanted to do, or say. 

And after all, there was a lot to be said. Two years had passed. And two years felt like both a few days, and an eternity. 

White thought on this for a moment. Black had the same smile, the same laugh. He had the same exact loud, booming voice that she couldn’t help but find endearing. His features were more angular, his face a bit more mature… but that did nothing to diminish just how familiar his presence was. How nostalgic it was. With him beside her, it felt as though they went back in time, to live life the way they should’ve.  
  
No Team Plasma, no Ghetsis.

Just two kids taking on the world.

However, it couldn't be like that. This was no dream; it was real life. Team Plasma was real, Ghetsis was real. Everything that had happened to them was _real_ , and there was no undoing it.

So they had to move forward. There would be some bumps in the road, sure. But, with a little bit of work, and with a little bit of patience… White saw no reason why they couldn’t try to get some lost time back.

“You know,” Black said, forcing out a laugh. A weak attempt at lightening the mood. “I think I missed the ocean more than I thought.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” he then replied, glancing up at White. 

Her grip on his shoulder remained firm, unmoving. 

“Back in the Dream World, we didn’t really have an ocean.” A pause. “Or anything like that. Maybe a few small ponds here and there, but not an ocean.”

White’s thoughts flickered back to a few days ago. It was true. She couldn’t recall seeing any large bodies of water in the Dream World. Just… floating plateaus. 

“I dunno, guess I’m just glad to be back,” he then concluded with a shrug. “It feels a bit weird being around so many people again… and I know it’ll take me some time to get used to… you know, everything.”

He turned around to face White, this time seemingly with purpose.

“I…. look, Prez, it’s fine if you don’t wanna put up with me like this.” He almost stumbled on his words, and paused for a moment before continuing. “You have other… much more important things to focus on. You have the agency. And… and now Pokestar Studios. I wouldn’t want to..."

White wordlessly walked up beside him. Her hand, once perched up on his shoulder, now slowly trailed down his arm.

“Black,” she merely said, a small smile forming on her lips. Her hand brushed against his; she could feel the tension escape his body as her fingers intertwined with his. The heat of his palm pressed against her own felt nice. It felt right.

“Don’t you remember what I said?” she asked. “I’m not letting you go. And if that means helping you readjust, then that means helping you readjust,” she stated, almost matter of factly. She squeezed his hand in reassurance. “Okay?”

Black didn’t answer at first. He slowly turned around to face White, and she was almost relieved; this was the most calm she had seen him in days. 

“... thanks,” he managed to say, seemingly touched by her sentiment. Black's grasp on her hand tightened as he squeezed it in return. “It means a lot.”

The two then stood there, staring out at the sea in comfortable silence. Two years had passed, sure, but they had more than enough time to get it back.

**Author's Note:**

> oh! also, this fic's title was based off the song "real life" from drawn to life: the next chapter. it gives me huge agency vibes, especially with the latest chapters of b2w2. i'd recommend giving it a listen! 
> 
> here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFsSp22q1t4


End file.
